Flipkart fined Rs 1 lakh for selling faulty pressure cookers

Flipkart will pay a fine of Rs 1 lakh per the latest order of the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) for selling faulty pressure cookers on its shopping website. The government agency that protects consumer rights has also ordered Flipkart to reimburse customers of non-standard cookers. Essentially, these cookers do not comply with the Quality Control Order (QCO) set by the government.

According to a Times of India report, Flipkart must notify 598 consumers of the defective pressure cookers to initiate the recall process. Flipkart also must reimburse customers the amount they paid for these cookers and submit a compliance report within 45 days. These actions were taken against Flipkart in addition to the penalty of Rs 1 lakh.

We have reached out to Flipkart and will update the article as soon as we receive a statement.

The report said the pressure cookers Flipkart was selling on its e-commerce platform were not compliant with QCO. The QCO standards give guidelines to manufacturers and sellers for pressure cookers to reduce the risk of suffering injury and harm to consumers. Implemented in February 2021, the QCO mark is mandatory for selling pressure cookers in online and offline stores.

“The CCPA observed that provisions in the ‘Flipkart Terms of Use’ such as mandatory use of the words ‘Powered by Flipkart’ on every invoice of the product and distinguishing sellers as gold, silver and bronze for distribution of various benefits indicates the role played by Flipkart in sale of the pressure cookers on its e-commerce platform,” the authority was quoted as saying in the report.

According to CCPA, Flipkart earned around Rs 1.84 lakh by selling pressure cookers on its shopping website. The regulatory body alleges that since Flipkart made profits from the sale of cookers, it cannot distance itself from the “role and responsibility arising out of their sale to consumers.”

CCPA has previously fined companies such as Paytm Mall and Amazon for selling hazardous products on their platforms.

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